What Budget Friendly Foods Work Best For Your Kitty?

[xenathecrazy]

My kitty currently eats Nutro kitten dry food and either Fancy Feast pates and Nutro wet food. Those wet foods seem to work best for him or he will get soft stools otherwise. He eats one to one and half cans daily and has dry out for eating between meals. I’d like to cut down on the cost of the dry because our budget is going to be cut a little more than half soon. While I know every cat is different, which dry foods have worked for the majority of cats you’ve fed? I only have one cat, but I’m sure those with multiple cats on a budget have had to find the best that works not only for the cats but for the budget.

 

[sargon]

One option is to try replacing some or all of the canned with cooked food. there are mixes (furforlife and u-stew are two that come to mind) that you add to meat. you basically brown meat like you are making tacos, then add in the mix, portion it out and freeze it. If you get a good sale on the meat, it can be pretty cheap.

In terms of dry, you can't really save money there. I mean you can, but while high end dry is pretty good stuff, the cheaper options tend to be made of corn and soy, rather than meat. With that said, I've heard okayish things about Costco's dry food, so you might want to look into it and see what the ingredients are like.

 

[daftcat75]

I can tell you about the Newman’s Own that worked well with Krista for a number of years.

But I could also tell you about the dental issues, IBD, and pancreatitis she developed over a lifetime of kibble.

If you must feed dry, don’t go cheap now or it will get very expensive later. I would recommend a freeze dried raw like Stella and Chewys. It’s not really meant to be eaten dry but it can be if your cats drink enough water on their own. Krista doesn’t drink water at all. So I have to make sure she’s getting enough food each day to meet her moisture requirements.

Or you can ditch the dry and add an extra wet feeding before bedtime.

 

[daftcat75]

Cats don’t need to be fed at equal intervals. And they don’t need meals during the day while you’re gone. They’re sleeping most of the day anyway. My Krista needs extra food to recover from her various ailments caused by dry food and inappropriate ingredients. I feed her two breakfasts and two dinners. She’s totally content to sleep through my work day. You probably don’t need a second breakfast with yours.

 

[Willowy]

Nutro is pretty reasonably priced. If you're currently buying it at a chain store, check out the prices online and in smaller stores, maybe you can find it cheaper.

My cats do very well on canned Friskies pate. If he's still a kitten, make sure you get a flavor that says "for cats and kittens". Some flavors say they're for adults only.

 

[xenathecrazy]

The reason I need dry food is mostly because he will get really soft stool on wet only. He’s still a kitten (9 months old) and eats a lot too. I stay at home and he doesn’t sleep much actually. He’s usually following me or the kids around, playing, or just chilling out. He’ll take a quick cat nap here or there, but ironically he does sleep most of the night. I’ve tried various brands of wet, and either he wouldn’t eat it, or it would come out very soft. He’s a Maine Coon and even with a sanitary cut, I’d have to chase him down with a wipe after he pooped. Definitely not fun!

I wanted him on all wet but I had to settle for the foods that worked best for his tummy. He’s been checked for other health issues to see if we could find a cause for the soft stool but he is otherwise well.

 

[Willowy]

Is it Nutro Max or Nutro Wholesome Essentials? The Essentials line does seem a bit pricey. But Max appears to be approximately $2 a pound, which isn't very expensive.

I've had success with Purina ONE kitten food. It's slightly lower quality but is also cheaper, maybe that would work for you and him.

 

[daftcat75]

Oh! Kitten. Yeah. Carry on with whatever works. As he grows into his adult diet, please consider trying all wet again. Fancy Feast Classic Pates are a good food with cat appropriate ingredients. If his poo is runny on one flavor, try another. Krista likes turkey. Chicken would probably come back up. And fish is 50/50 whether her poops will be solid. I think tuna is okay and salmon is a no deal.

 

[Kat0121]

How old is your cat? Is he grown or still a kitten? If he's grown, you don't need to leave the dry food out for free feeding. Just get him set up on timed feedings. That will save money on the dry food. If he's good with eating wet food, you really could eliminate the dry food altogether. If he's still a kitten, you can do either of these once he's reached adulthood. Have you tried the Friskies pates on him? Mine really like the poultry varieties and the turkey & giblets is a favorite of both and they are VERY picky eaters. IMO Fancy Feast is pricey for what you're getting. Where do you buy food? Do you buy in bulk or single cans? You can get a 32 pack of Friskies poultry pates at stores like Wal Mart and Petsmart for about $15 so that works out to .48 a can. If he eats food that's been covered and refrigerated, you can get the 13 ounce cans of Friskies pates at Dollar Tree (limited variety) and at Wal Mart. WM is probably a little more than a dollar but they also will likely have a better variety. My cats prefer Friskies over Fancy Feast. If you buy food by the case like I do, you can use subscription services from places like Chewy's autoship and Amazon's subscribe and save. I've used both and prefer the S&S. You get free shipping even if you are not a Prime member.

 

[mizzely]

Ones that have worked well for 2 cats over the years:

Canidae Pure
Nature's Variety Instinct LID Rabbit
Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Stomach

 

[xenathecrazy]

Is it Nutro Max or Nutro Wholesome Essentials? The Essentials line does seem a bit pricey. But Max appears to be approximately $2 a pound, which isn't very expensive.

I've had success with Purina ONE kitten food. It's slightly lower quality but is also cheaper, maybe that would work for you and him.

It is the Nutro Wholesome Essentials.

 

[xenathecrazy]

How old is your cat? Is he grown or still a kitten? If he's grown, you don't need to leave the dry food out for free feeding. Just get him set up on timed feedings. That will save money on the dry food. If he's good with eating wet food, you really could eliminate the dry food altogether. If he's still a kitten, you can do either of these once he's reached adulthood. Have you tried the Friskies pates on him? Mine really like the poultry varieties and the turkey & giblets is a favorite of both and they are VERY picky eaters. IMO Fancy Feast is pricey for what you're getting. Where do you buy food? Do you buy in bulk or single cans? You can get a 32 pack of Friskies poultry pates at stores like Wal Mart and Petsmart for about $15 so that works out to .48 a can. If he eats food that's been covered and refrigerated, you can get the 13 ounce cans of Friskies pates at Dollar Tree (limited variety) and at Wal Mart. WM is probably a little more than a dollar but they also will likely have a better variety. My cats prefer Friskies over Fancy Feast. If you buy food by the case like I do, you can use subscription services from places like Chewy's autoship and Amazon's subscribe and save. I've used both and prefer the S&S. You get free shipping even if you are not a Prime member.

He is 9 months old so still a kitten. He prefers Fancy Feast over Friskies. He does like the poultry platter flavor though. Also, for some reason, the Friskies gives him soft stool over the Fancy Feast. That one boggles me since the ingredients are very similar. I buy on Chewy or local stores.

I have tried all wet food, but it gives him really soft stool so the dry food helps keep him normal.

 

[EmersonandEvie]

Dexter has done better than I'd have thought on Fancy Feast kitten. We too have taken a pay cut (I have decided to go back to school, so lost my small, albeit helpful, income). Dexter gets 3 cans a day and 1/4 cup of dry kitten food at night. We cannot free feed due to our other cats. He gets the Nature's Variety Instinct kitten kibble. It is more expensive but it is very high calories so they will (in theory) eat less.

 

[EmersonandEvie]

You can also put in some plain canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling) to try and bulk up his stool if you need to.

 

[xenathecrazy]

Is it Nutro Max or Nutro Wholesome Essentials? The Essentials line does seem a bit pricey. But Max appears to be approximately $2 a pound, which isn't very expensive.

I've had success with Purina ONE kitten food. It's slightly lower quality but is also cheaper, maybe that would work for you and him.

I was running low on the Nutro essentials kitten and picked up a bag of the Max Cat Kitten to mix in. He actually likes the Max more than the Essentials so that works for my budget since it’s a little cheaper and more food and his palate.